The devastating incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday when Long Island mom, Kerri Bedrick, was charged with driving while intoxicated in a wrong-way crash that tragically claimed the life of her 9-year-old son, Eli Henrys. Officers observed her to be moving unsteadily as they led her to a patrol car later that evening.
Dressed in blue hospital scrubs, Bedrick, aged 32, appeared shaky and took small steps as two New York State Police officers guided her from the police headquarters in Brentwood to the vehicle. She remained silent throughout the ordeal, with her eyes nearly closed, while the police directed her towards the car.
Upon being placed in the car’s backseat, Bedrick slumped over and groaned loudly before the officers sat her up. As the car pulled away, she was seen leaning to the side with her eyes closed and her mouth slightly ajar. This unfortunate event took place after a series of charges were levied against her for the early morning crash that not only killed her son but also injured two other drivers.
Bedrick was allegedly driving a 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV on the wrong side of the Southern State Parkway near Exit 42 in Islip when she was spotted at around 2:15 a.m. She reportedly flew past a Suffolk County sheriff’s deputy who attempted to pull her over, and sped up just moments before crashing into another car, resulting in a four-car pile-up.
The mom from Centerport was charged with driving while impaired by drugs, aggravated DWI, and felony aggravated unlicensed operation for the accident. She is also facing charges of operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, aggravated DWI with a child less than 16 years old, and criminal possession of a stimulant.
Bedrick’s son was pulled from the back seat by a deputy sheriff and state trooper who administered first aid before he was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, Eli Henrys succumbed to his injuries and passed away in the hospital.
Suffolk County Deputy Undersheriff John Beck described the incident as a “traumatic event” for all those involved and added that the deputy sheriff would have the image of the young boy’s face forever etched in his memory.
The drivers of two other vehicles in the pile-up, 29-year-old Haydee Meyer and 24-year-old David Picard, were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the fourth car was not injured, according to police reports.
Bedrick was standing outside her mangled SUV when officers arrived at the crash site and was given a field sobriety test. However, the authorities declined to release the results. She is currently being held overnight and will face arraignment on the charges on Friday morning.
